Vapor electric apparatus.



0. O. KRUH. VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 1130.12, 1903.

Patented July 21, 1914 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Witnesses Inventor" g Osi-as Otto Kruh. 3%: W b W. M

O. O. KRUH. VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED DEO.12, 1003.

Patented July 21, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Inventor: Osias Otto Kruh, by CL 6 M Witrsesssezf: o WW 0. 0. KRUH.

VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED DEO.12, 1903.

Patented July 21, 1914.

Q 3 .2 Li.

Witnesses Inventor Osias Otto Kruh,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSIAS O. KRUH; OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO GENERAL ELECTRIC 7 COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

- vnron nrnc'r uc arrannrus.

Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Patented July 21,, 1914.

Application filed December 12, 1903. Serial No. 184,878.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, OSIAS Orro KRUH, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Va or Electric Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. V In Vapor electric conductors supplied with current from an alternating current source, and particularly in those provided with a plurality of anodes, diflicu ty arises under some circumstancesdue to arcing between the anodes. In apparatus of the character mentioned current flows normally onlv between each anode and the cathode. Under certain circumstances, as for example if relatively high voltages be employed or if the V apparatus be run at an abnormally high temperature, there is apt to be from time to time ,a more or less severe arcing discharge between the anodes. Such a discharge, even though scarcely more than instantaneous, forms. an objectionable short circuit upon the system, and if the current is large enough, might actually injure the apparatus. My invention provides means for overcoming thisobjectloii, and thereby permits the apparatus to be worked at far higher voltages than usually employed and without danger due to arclng of-the character mentioned. I secure the result mentioned by so arranging the vapor electric device that current cannot pass freely between electrodes t e same function, but can pass one of the anodes is capable of allowing current to pass freely. The flow of current through the other anode or anodes is limited by current-reducing means sorthat only a relatively small current can flow. The main anode therefore carries most of the current to the apparatus while the additional anode of anodes, by furnishing current bridging over-the period when the current of the main anode is "low or negligible, keeps up the vapor-emitting action of the cathode and so 'serves to maintain the apparatus in opera tion. The apparatus as thus arranged is evidently unsymmetrical, by which I mean that it utilizes alternating current pulsations of a single polarity nearly to the exclusion of waves of the opposite polarity. I therefore pr'ovide'two or more vapor electric de- My-invention presents various features of novelty and these features I have endeavored to point out with particularity in the appended claims. C a

The invention itself, however, both as to its practical organization and mode of operation will be better understood by. reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which 7 Figures 1 to 7 inclusive, illustrate some of the various ways in which my invention may be embodied in-practice.

In F ig. 1 single-phase alternating current supply mains are indicated at 1 and 2.

These mains are employed to supply currentto vapor electric devices which, in this case, are employed to rectify the alternating current and supply the same to a consumption circuit consisting of mains 3 and 4 between which translating devices of any desired character are connected. The rectifying apparatus includes two highly exhausted envelops or receptacles 5 and 6 which may be of glass or other suitable material. Each receptacle is provided with a vaporizable electrode constitutin a cathode and with a plurality of cooperating electrodes acting as anodes. In the receptacle 5 the cathode, in this case of mercury, is indicated at 7 while the cooperating anodes are shown at 8, 9 and 10. Of these the anodes 8 and 9 are the main anodes, while the anode 10, in this in stance of mercury, is used only in starting the apparatus into operation. The anodes 8 and 9 are supported by glass-inclosed wires or rods 11 and 12 connected with suitable leading-in conductors. The other electrodes 7 and 10 are also provided with leading-in conductors in the usual manner for conveying current thereto through the walls of the envelop. The other envelop 6 is similarly provided with electrodes as indicated at 13, 14, and 16., Y

, One .of the main anodes of each envelop is connected directly to one of the alternatlng current supply mains and. the other to the other main. Thus the anode 8 is connected directly to the main 1 and the anode 1% to the mam 2. Of the remaining anodes 9 and 14, the anode 9 of the envelop or receptacle 5 is connected with the cathode 15 of the envelop 6, while in a, corresponding manner the anode 14 of the envelop 6 is connected to the cathode 7 of the envelop 5. I In series with the circuits leading from the respectlve anodes 9 and 14 I nnect currentlimiting devices which may be resistances 17 and 18 either inductive or non-inductive.

The cathodes 7 and 15 are respectively connected to the main 3 of the consumption circuit"through inductance coils 19 and 20 which act as steadying devices for enabling the two rectifiers to operate in multiple. These steadying devices also serve the purpose of deflecting current from one rectifier and causing it to pass through theauxiliary.

arc of the other rectifier. The opposite side,

I or main 4, of the consumptioncircuit is conorshaken so thatthe mercury of and thus draws an are.

broken at the instant.

nected to the junction 21 between two reactance coils 22 and 23 in series, as shown, across the supply mains 1 and 2.

In orderto start up the system each of the rectifiers is staged, one g the purpose of starting, the rectifier is tipped one or the other of the electrodes, such as 7 and 10 of the receptacle 5, flows over the space between them, thus completing an electric circuit from the cathode 7 through the switch 24, which is sup osed to be closed at this time, andthrough a current-limitingresistance 25 to the main 2. As soon as the mercury flows back over the space between the electrodes the metallic connection is broken If the metallic con.- nection happens to be that current is flowing from electrode 10 to electrode 7, then electrode 7.becomes a cathode and, by giving out ionized vapor which is propagated upward therefrom, causes an,

arc to start between it and the main anode 8. The other rectifier is then started in 'a similar manner by closing the switch 26. When this is accomplishedthe two switches 24 and 26 may be opened, whereupon the arcs be-- after the other. For

tacle 5 to the cathode 7, and then through the current-limiting device 17 before it reaches the anode 14. In the same way current for the anode 9 is received from the main 2 through the rectifier 6 and then through the current-limiting device 18. The current-limitin means, therefore, interferes with and practically prevents any arcing between the anodes. At the same time the current-limiting means allows sufiicient current to pass to the anode with which it is related to enableothe' latter to perform its principal function of securing continuous operation of the mainor working anode.

When the apparatus 1s in operation the inductance coils 22 and 23 operate a manner, now well understood, to produce a flow of-current in either of the rectifiers such as to prevent an interruption of current flow therein as the waves from the source pass through zero, and at the same time cause the energy of both plurality waves from the alternating current source to be utilized.

Instead of accomplishing the object of my invention by connecting one of the anodes of one rectifier 6r other vapor device, in series with the arc in a companion rectifier, I may, same result in a secure approximately the somewhat simpler manner by connecting the two rectifiers in multiple with each other and including current-limiting devices, one in series with one of the anodes of one of the rectifiers and the other in series with one of the anodes of the other rectifier. If the rectifiers are rovided with more than two working ano es, as in the case of a three-phase rectifier, all but one of the working anodes of each rectifier will have current-limiting devices in series respectively therewith. V A

An arrangement such as mentioned 18 shown I in Fig. 2. In this case the two rectifiers 28 and 29 are of substantially the construction describedin connection with Fig. 1 and have their respective working anodes connected in multiple to the supply mains 30 and 31 as indicated. One of the anodes of each rectifier has a resistance, either inductive or non inductive, connected in series with it. These resistances are indicated at 32 .and 33, and each serves t o limit the amount of current which can pass between the anodes in the corresponding rectifier. The current which can thus pass between the anodes is too small to allow the formation of any appreciable arc and certainly too small to permit a destructive arc; The other features of Fig. 2 which have not been referred to in detail are the same as corresponding portions of Fig. 1, and therefore require no speci 1 description,

Fig. 3 shows my invention as applied to a rectifier the same in principle .as those already described, but of somewhat different form. The supply system in this case consists of a transformer the primary of which-is indicated at 35 and the secondary winding at 36. Instead of the transformer I may, of course, as will be evident to anyone skilled in the art, makeuse of a compensator. The mains 37 and 38 extending from the secondary 36 connect with the rectifiers 39 and 40 in exactly the same manner as the mains 1 and 2 of Fig. 1 connect with the rectifiers 5 and 6. In fact, the only difl'erence in structure which Fig. 3 presents over Fig. 1 is that the'consumption circuit 41 has the return lead 42 therefrom connected to the middle point of the secondary 38 instead of to the junction between two reactance coils as in Fig. 1.

Each of the rectifiers in Fig. 3 owes its ability to operate continuously to the corresponding inductance coils 43 and 44. These inductance coils, in this case, perform the double function of enabling the rectifiers to operate together in multiple, in which case they operate as steadying devices, and of preventing dead points. In overcoming dead points the inductance coil for each rectifier stores energy as a current wave passes from one of the anodes and, by restoring energy, causes current to flow so as to bridge over the interval or instant during which the current from the said anode tends to pass through its zero value. As current tends to rise from zero through the companion anode there'is at this instant current already flowing in the rectifier which thus provides a conducting path and enables current to flow from this anode. The currentlimiting devices 45 and 46 operate, however, to limit the amount of current that can pass between the anodes of either rectifier without interfering with the flow of current between the main anodes 47 and 48 and their corresponding cathodes 49 and 50.

The arrangement as shown in Fig. 1 is supposed to be started by means of starting anodes 51 and 52 and the. starting arethus formed to be transferred to one of the nonvaporizable anodes. It may be desired, however, to use electrodes all-of which are of mercury or of other fluid material; In this case, each rectifier, as shown in Fig. 4, is provided with a cathode, as at 53 and 54, and with coiiperating mercury anodes as at 55 and 56 in the one rectifier and 57 and 58 in the other rectifier. Except in the respects mentioned the arrangement shown in Fig. 4 is practically the same as that shown in Fig. 3 and, therefore, requires no further descri tion of details. The apparatus is starte as before by shaking or tipping the respective rectifiers until the starting is ac- 'complished.

' In all of the foregoing arrangements each rectifier isshown as provided with anodes each of which receives current directly from the source. I have found, however, that one of the anodes, and that one which carries the small current for the purpose of maintaining the ,other or main anodein operaeach of the same construction as shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and thus require no special description, They are supplied with current, as in Figs. 3 and 4, from the secondary 61 of a transformer or compensator. The anode 62 of one rectifier is connected to one of the terminals of the transformer 61 and the other anode 63' to the other terminal. The respective cathodes 64 and 65 are con-' nected through inductance coils 66 and 67 to the consumption circuit 68, one of the leads 69 of which is connected to the middle point of the secondary '61. The other anodes 70 and 71 are connected respectively through current-limiting devices 72 and- 73 to the corresponding inductance coils 66 and 67. These inductance coils are charged by current flowing from'themain cathodes 64 'and 65 of the rectifiers to which they are related, and have discharge paths through the corresponding anodes 70 and 71. Thus if a positive wave passes from the transformer 61 through the anode 62 to the oathode 64 and through the inductance coil 66 back to the middle of the secondary 61, energy will be stored which, as soon as the wave commences to decreasein value, will reappear in the form of a current discharge or are between the anode 70 and the cathode 64. This discharge lasts over such an interval as still to be in existence when the time comes for the next wave of the same polarity to flow from the secondar 61 to the anode 62. This next wave, there ore, finds a conducting pathprepared for itso that the operation of the rectifier goes on indefinitely.

For the purpose of starting I may use starting anodes 74 and 75 of mercury, connected through starting switches 76 and 77 and resistances 78 and 79 to the proper mains as indicated. Tlfe function of these starting anodes and the mode of operating the same have already been. described in connection with previous figures and require no further elaboration.

Instead of using separate resistances'72 and 73, Fig. 5, one for each of the anodes 70 and 71, I may combine the resistances as shown in Fig. 6. In this figure, the combined resistance which takes the lace of the two resistances 72 and 73, is indlcated at '80. This resistance has one end connected to gether the two lower ends of inductance coils 84 and 85. The two rectifiers 86 and 87 are in this instance operatively related to two series-connected inductance coils 88 and 89, as in Figs. 1 and 2. The action of these inductance coils will be readily understood from the description relating to Figs. 1 and 2.

In order to reduce the size or amount of the resistance 80 which it is necessar to use to insure freedom from arcing etween anodes of the rectifier, the resistance may be connected to the opposite side of the consumption circuit fed by the rectifier. Thus in Fig. 7 the resistance 90, corresponding to the resistance 80 in Fig. 6, is connected as shown at 91 so that current flowing through it must traverse current-consuming devices between the mains 92 and 93 of the consumption circuit. Inasmuch as the resistance of these translating devices supplements that of the resistance 90 the latter resistance need not be of such magnitude as would be required of resistance 80 in Fig. 6. In the foregoing description I haveset forth the application of my invention to single-phase apparatus only. It will be evident, however, that my invention is equally applicable to multiphase apparatus. Since it is clear that the novel features of my invention may be embodied in still other forms than those indicated I do not wish to be limited to the exact details shown and described. v

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,

1. The combination of a source of alternating current, a plurality of evacuated receptacles each providedwith a cathode and a plurality ofanodes, connections between all of' the electrodes and said source, and means in circuit with all but one of the working anodes of each receptacle for limiting the flow of current between anodes thereby preventing arcing between ,the anodes.

2. The method of operating a vapor electric apparatus having a plurality of anodes and a cathode traversed by current from an alternating current source, which consists in allowing the free passage of current from one of the anodes to the cathode and limiting to a relatively small amount the current passing from the other anode or anodes to the cathode.

3. The combination of a plurality of vapor electric devices each having a cathode and a plurality of anodes, a source of supply, connections joining an anode or anodes of one device to said source, connections joining an anode or anodes of the other device in a similar manner to said source, and means in series with an anode of each device for causing an unsymmetrical flow of current from the anodes of each rectifier to the cathode.

4. The combination of an exhausted envelop or receptacle, electrodes therein of op-' posite polarity, one at least of said electrodes being of vaporizable material, a source of alternating current, and means between said electrodes and said source such as to allow the free passage of current Waves of one polarity between electrodes of opposite polarity but such as to oppose the passage of current between electrodes of the same polarity.

5. The combination in a vapor electric device for use with alternating current, said device having a cathode and a plurality of anodes whereby current waves of different polarities are transmitted, of means for opposing the fiow of waves of one polarity without opposing waves of different polarity.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 10th.-day of December, 1903. OSIAS O. KRUH.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFORD. 

